Bee-Bot New Zealand Geography. Teachers Notes and Suggested Activities. The New Zealand Geography Mat can be used to learn;

Transcription

1 Bee-Bot New Zealand Geography Teachers Notes and Suggested Activities The New Zealand Geography Mat can be used to learn; Awareness of New Zealand regions, cities, volcanos, mountains, geothermal areas and much more Control programming Problem solving and collaboration Map skills and measurement

2 New Zealand s 10 Largest Rivers 1. Waikato 2. Clutha 3. Whanganui 4. Taieri 5. Rangitikei 6. Mataura 7. Waiau 8. Clarence 9. Waitaki 10. Oreti

3 Bee-bot New Zealand Rivers Teachers notes 1. Waikato Situated in the North Island and is New Zealand s largest river at 425 kms long. It rises in the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, and empties into Lake Taupo. It flows from Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the Huka Falls, and then flows northwest, through the Waikato Plains. It empties into the Tasman Sea south of Auckland, at Port Waikato. It gives its name to the Waikato Region that surrounds the Waikato Plains. The present course of the river was largely formed by the large volcanic eruption from the Lake Taupo volcanic complex about 1800 years ago. The name Waikato comes from the Māori language and translates as flowing water. The Waikato River has spiritual meaning for various local Māori tribes, including the large Tainui, who regard it as a source of their mana, or pride. The widely-respected marae of Turangawaewae is close to its banks at Ngaruawahia. 2. Clutha The Clutha River or Mata-Au is the second longest river in New Zealand flowing southsoutheast 322 kilometres through Central and South Otago from Lake Wanaka in the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean, 75 kilometres south west of Dunedin. It is the highest volume river in New Zealand, and the swiftest. The Clutha River is known for its scenery, gold-rush history, and swift turquoise waters. A river conservation group, the Clutha Mata-Au River Parkway Group, is working to establish a regional river parkway, with a trail, along the entire river corridor. The waters of the Upper Clutha are clear turquoise, the result of glacial and snow-melt filtering when the water flows through Lake Wanaka. This is a rare characteristic for a high volume river. Below Cromwell, where the silt-laden Kawarau enters, the waters are less turquoise. Several major floods have occurred on the Clutha, most notably the Hundred year floods of October 1878 and October The 1878 flood is regarded as New Zealand's greatest known flood. During this, a bridge at Clydevale was washed downstream, where it collided with the Balclutha Road Bridge, destroying the latter. There are two hydroelectric power stations, the Clyde Dam and the Roxburgh Dam, located on the river providing electricity to the New Zealand power grid.

4 3. Whanganui With a length of 290 km, the Whanganui is the country's third-longest river. Much of the land to either side of the river's upper reaches is part of the Whanganui National Park, though the river itself is not part of the park. The river rises on the northern slopes of Mount Tongariro, one of the three active volcanoes of the central plateau, and close to Lake Rotoaira. It flows to the north-west before turning south-west at Taumarunui. From here it runs through the rough, bushclad hill country of the King Country before turning south-east and flowing past the small settlements of Pipiriki and Jerusalem, before reaching the coast at Whanganui. It is the country's longest navigable river. In the 1970s a minor eruption from Mount Ruapehu spilled some of the contents from the Ruapehu Crater Lake. This toxic water entered the Whanganui River and had the effect of killing much of the fish life downstream. In the aftermath of the poisoning eels as large as 8.2 kg and trout as large as 2.3 kg were washed up dead along the banks of the river. Despite being NZ's longest navigable river, the Whanganui has surprisingly few road bridges. Only two are located on the 230 km stretch between Whanganui and Taumarunui. The Whanganui River is also home to the Bridge to Nowhere. 4. Taieri The Taieri River is the fourth-longest river in New Zealand and is located in Otago. The Taieri initially flows north, then east around the Rock and Pillar range before turning southeast, reaching the sea 30 km south of Dunedin. The upper reaches meander in a series of convoluted loops across a floodplain near Paerau before running through two small hydroelectric power stations before Patearoa in the Maniototo. The Taieri then turns almost 180 degrees, entering a wide glacial valley surrounded by rugged hill ranges. Immediately downstream is the Taieri Gorge. This is known for the Taieri Gorge Railway, which follows a route into Central Otago. In the Taieri's lower reaches there is a broad floodplain (the Taieri Plains) containing much of Otago's most fertile farmland. The river then flows through the lower Taieri Gorge to the Pacific Ocean at Taieri Mouth.

5 The Taieri is 288 km long of which the last 20 km are navigable. The name "Taieri" is thought to come from the Māori word taiari meaning "spring tide". 5. Rangitikei The Rangitikei River is 241 kilometres long. Its headwaters are to the southeast of Lake Taupo in the Kaimanawa Ranges. It flows from the Central Plateau south past Taihape, Mangaweka, Hunterville, Marton, and Bulls, through to Tangimoana, 40 kilometres southeast of Wanganui. The river gives its name to the surrounding Rangitikei District. In 1897 the river flooded and all six bridges over it were damaged or destroyed. The port at the mouth of the river was also washed away and never rebuilt. The river is a popular leisure and recreation area for jetboating, white water rafting, kayaking and fishing, and includes public camp grounds along its banks, including Vinegar Hill. Its sheer vertical "paapa" (clay) cliffs (unique to this part of New Zealand) and deep canyons provide the perfect setting for adventure activities such as bungy jumps and flying fox rides. Gravity Canyon on the Mokai reach is a world-famous attraction. Part of the river was used as the Anduin River in Peter Jackson's movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. 6. Mataura The Mataura River is in the Southland Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 240 kilometres in length. The river's headwaters are located in mountains to the south of Lake Wakatipu. From there it flows southeast towards Gore, where it turns southward. It then passes through the town of Mataura, and enters the Pacific Ocean at Toetoes Bay on the southern coast of the South Island. The Mataura is renowned as a source of brown trout, and is a popular fishing venue. It has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports breeding colonies of the endangered Black-billed Gull.

6 7. Waiau Waiau River is the largest river in the Southland Region. It is the outflow of Lake Te Anau, flowing from it into Lake Manapouri 10 kilometres to the south, and from there flows south for 70 kilometres before reaching the Foveaux Strait eight kilometres south of Tuatapere. It also takes water from Lake Monowai. The Upper Waiau River that flows between Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau doubled as the fictional River Anduin at the end of the first film of the The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for the scenes where the Uruk-hai chase the Fellowship along the river banks. Several species of endangered birds live around the shores of Lake Te Anau, and the upper Waiau River, notably the Takahē (Notornis hochstetteri). An area between the Middle and South Fiords called the Murchison Mountains is a sanctuary set aside for these birds. The western shore of Lake Te Anau also holds the Te Ana-au Caves, from which Lake Te Anau derives its name. 8. Clarence The Clarence River is located in the South Island of New Zealand. It is 209 kilometres long and the eighth longest river in New Zealnd. For its first 50 kilometres, the river runs in a generally southeastern direction. It then turns northeast, running down a long straight valley between the Inland and Seaward Kaikoura Ranges. At the end of the Seaward Kaikouras, the river runs through rolling hill country before draining into the Pacific Ocean near the town of Clarence. A large part of the river is within the boundaries of Molesworth Station. Molesworth Station is located behind the Inland Kaikoura Mountain range in the South Island's Marlborough district. It is New Zealand's largest farm, at over 1,800 km², and supports the country's biggest herd of cattle. It also hosts government science programs, such as research into bovine tuberculosis and related research into possums. 9. Waitaki The Waitaki River is a large river in the South Island of New Zealand, some 209 km long. It is the major river of the Mackenzie Basin which is well known due to its clean, dry and dark sky, and serves as an important area for New Zealand-based astronomy, with a number of related facilities located there, including the nation's premier astronomical observatory, the University of Canterbury's Mount John University Observatory, and

7 several amateur observatories. It flows through Lake Benmore, Lake Aviemore and Lake Waitaki. These are ultimately fed by three large glacial lakes, Pukaki, Tekapo, and Ohau. Lake Benmore and Lake Aviemore are contained by hydroelectric dams, Benmore Dam and Aviemore Dam. The river s flow is normally low in winter, with flows increasing in spring when the snow on the Southern Alps begins to melt, and flows throughout the summer being rainfall dependent and then declining in the autumn as the colder weather begins to freeze the smaller streams and streams which feed the catchment. The middle of the river bed forms a political boundary between the Canterbury and Otago regions. 10. Oreti The Oreti (or New) River is one of the main rivers of Southland, New Zealand, and is 203 kilometres in length. The river, as has the Mataura River, has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because, for much of its length, it supports breeding colonies of Black-billed Gulls. The Oreti has its headwaters close to the Mavora Lakes between Lake Te Anau and Lake Wakatipu, and flows south across the Southland Plains to its outflow into Foveaux Strait at the southeastern end of Oreti Beach. En route, it runs through the towns of Lumsden and Winton, before passing through the city of Invercargill, close to the river's estuary. For the final part of the river's length, it runs around the city of Invercargill and the river's estuary just south of the city, it is known as the New River, a name occasionally used to refer to the whole river.